Impeachment is the ultimate check on an out-of-control executive branch. It is serious, not to be used for petty partisan purposes; and it is imperative that it becomes a matter of legitimate discussion before the American people lose all trust in our federal government.

Impeachment requires moral courage to advance what is right, and it requires political will. A complacent or disheartened electorate may silently endure these abuses from the administration, the permanent political class is only too happy to maintain the status quo, and the mainstream media is not a fair watchdog. So, the nation’s last line of defense is for We the People to rise up and say, “enough is enough.”…

Some argue that at best the House might vote for articles of impeachment, but the Senate is unlikely to convict. But that is no argument against holding a president accountable and sending the people’s message to all successors…

The only thing necessary to transform America into something unrecognizable is for good men to do nothing! If not these violations and the president’s promise to continue to “go it alone” in ignoring the separation of powers and rule of law, what will it take for you to take a stand? How bad does it have to get?

Ultimately, she’s saying, this all comes down to public outrage, which is exactly right — but that’s why there’s going to be no impeachment. Right? If the wider public shared her many objections to Obama — power grabs, amnesty, ObamaCare, NSA spying, Benghazi, the Bergdahl prisoner swap — his job approval would be in single digits. As it is, he’s at 41 percent, which is poor but not nearly so atrociously bad that any congressional Democrats would feel compelled to remove him from office. Even among the 54-55 percent who disapprove of his job performance, there are bound to be loads of people who think that he’s guilty of nothing more than incompetence, not dereliction of duty worthy of the first successful forcible ouster of the president in American history. I haven’t seen any polls on impeachment lately, but I’d guess that impeachment supporters would start with something like 55-60 percent of the public opposed (all Democrats and a majority of indies) and 40 percent or so in favor (most Republicans). Once the media went to work on “GOP extremism,” Democrats started rolling out talking points about how the “party of no” isn’t interested in real solutions for the middle class, and a few centrist Republicans in Congress publicly expressed opposition, it’d probably move another 10 points against. What then?

Rick Wilson wrote a post for Ricochet yesterday about the impossible politics of steering impeachment through Congress:

Give me your elevator pitch, not for impeachment qua impeachment, but for how the story plays out from the announcement to Obama mounting the steps of Marine One and flashing a Nixonian farewell salute. What’s your Day One communication strategy when we begin impeachment proceedings? What’s the Day Two strategy? What’s the strategy after the first week? Who are the legislative handlers? Who are the key faces for the media? What’s the timetable, the media plan, the surrogate plan…all the boring block-and-tackle stuff? What happens when your rock-solid arguments melt under legal challenges from every quarter?

Did you remember there are other players in this game? Did you forget that the American people are notoriously fickle? Did you forget that the media still yields a mighty power to misrepresent, to distort, and to flat-out lie about what you’re trying to accomplish? What happens when this raises $50 million in online donation for the bad guys? What happens when they start dropping oppo like nukes on every member of the impeachment committee? What happens when Americans who are bored and restless decide you’re not talking about their lives, but just playing inside Washington games? What happens to the message strategy of every GOP House, Senate, and Governor candidate in the country? What happens when this doesn’t turn bring the White House to heel but instead becomes the only rallying cry that could wake Democrats from their post-Obama, post-Obamacare funk? What happens when Harry Reid slits your throat by not allowing the Senate to pass judgment.

All of which, again, is to say that Palin’s right — it’s the public that will determine whether impeachment is viable or not. What evidence do you have, though, that they think it’s viable? Outside of conservative media, who out there in the electorate is terribly exercised about Obama planning to unilaterally amnestize five million illegals once he’s busy shrugging off the current border crisis? Jonathan Turley seems pretty upset, and … that’s about it. The hard truth, I think, is that Americans don’t much care how the federal government operates as long as it gets them to an outcome they prefer. Raising the minimum wage is popular within the general electorate; if Obama issued an order tomorrow decreeing that that wage shall be raised, whether or not Congress approves, that’d be an egregious affront to separation of powers but even that probably wouldn’t inspire much outrage outside the right. Most voters would conclude that they like the outcome, so oh well. Whether that’s always been the case or is something new that’s developed, possibly (and ironically) as a reaction to growing cynicism about government, is beyond my reach. But it may be (also ironically) that our complacent political class, which Palin correctly identifies as being happy with the status quo, is nonetheless a better bet at this point to police itself on civic issues like separation of powers than the broader public is to police it. That’s the only reason I can think of for why Obama hasn’t (yet) issued the sort of minimum-wage order I just described. Maybe, for now, that’s a constitutional bridge too far even for him, although probably not for most of his voters. Gonna take a very high crime for Americans to ever support impeachment, I suspect, even as the weak norms against broad executive control of government continue to erode.

In related news, even some of the more solidly conservative members of the House see impeachment as an exercise in futility. Exit question: If I’m wrong about all this and the public is secretly ready to rally to the GOP’s side against O, then impeaching him would be a political winner even if Harry Reid blocks it in the Senate. Political parties usually rush to seize a political winner when they see it — and yet Republicans across the spectrum, from Boehner and McCain to Ted Cruz and Erick Erickson, seem reluctant to pursue this one. How come?

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The Department of Health and Human Services has brought nearly 430 unaccompanied alien children (UAC) to Chicago, and placed them under the care of Heartland Alliance, according to a release from Senator Mark Kirk (R., Ill.). Heartland Alliance, describes itself as “the leading anti-poverty organization in the Midwest” on its website and is an HHS grantee. The kids are being held at multiple locations in the Chicagoland area, a staffer in Kirk’s office tells National Review Online.

The Israeli military says it is ordering Palestinians living in the northern Gaza Strip to evacuate the area “for their own safety”.

In a statement, the military said it would send messages to residents overnight to leave the area.

Brigadier General Motti Almoz, the chief military spokesman, said Israel planned to hit the area with heavy force in the next 24 hours as it steps up an offensive against Gaza militants.

It comes as Israel widens its air assault against the Gaza Strip’s rulers, hitting a mosque, Hamas-affiliated charities and an Islamic home for the disabled, as Palestinians said the death toll from the five-day offensive had risen to 135.

Even as Christie narrowly edged out Kentucky Senator Rand Paul for the number two slot in the poll of 14 potential candidates, the New Jersey Governor also topped the list of candidates who respondents said they definitely would not vote for.

A skilled politician who wants to point out the destruction caused by Obysmal’s policies has to illustrate the issue in specific ways. How much more is a family paying for electricity? for heating oil? for gasoline?

How long has a breadwinner been out of a job in this pathetic economy? Or how long has that breadwinner had to rely on some form of public assistance since that job loss or hourly cutback?

How much more in one paying for health insurance and receiving less quality health care?

How have health care choices been limited via Obysmalcare?

Who stands to lose a job or the opportunity for one with the rapid influx of illegals? How much will a taxpayer have to pay for the social services for these border jumpers? How well will your children (or grandchildren) be served in the schools they attend when resources are stretched to accomodate the glut of new arrivals?

How has your property been jeopardized because of the lawlessness of border enforcement?

McDaniel specifically says his team has not been allowed access to un-redacted poll books in the vast majority of Mississippi’s counties. “Sadly, however, our volunteers have been unable to gain complete access to unredacted poll books in approximately 58 counties, and also have not been granted access to absentee records in approximately 24 counties,” McDaniel said.

I think Cochran received about 7300 more votes than McDaniel.

McDaniel plans to hold a press conference in Mississippi next Thursday to discuss more developments as well.

Sorry, you can’t claim low info and hyper sensitive to Palin all in the same comment. That makes zero sense. In case you haven’t notice, a lot of us, donors and campaign workers, don’t give a flying flip about the party anymore. They SUCK!!!

Take back the Senate and the Presidency and hold those people accountable if those don’t stem the tide of these socialists currently in power.

AYNBLAND on July 12, 2014 at 1:21 PM

In other words, tread water while the flood tide rises for the next couple of years. And if everything’s washed away by then?

de rigueur on July 12, 2014 at 1:45 PM

This Socialist cancer has existed in the country since the early 20th century. It will not kill us in the next two years but will in the next two decades if not treated. That’s why elections are everything. We control the majority of the State Houses, we now must take back the Federal Government. Like it or not, we have a media and it’s run by huge corporations and fronted by progressives. Win Elections. Sarah Palin will never hold national office. Sarah Palin creates news cycles to line her pockets and keep her brand relevant. Impeaching President Obama is a (politically) STUPID narrative for us. Pointing out and shaming the media into reporting what a crappy President he is….that’s the play and you know what, it’s working.

It’s now obvious to even the most casual observer of current events that President Obama is in way over his head. The Democrats knows this and will try their class war, war on women/minorities and “crazy” Conservatives narratives. Why give them fodder?? Average Americans thinks Obama is inept but not a criminal. Let them think this for the next two years…let the story be about HIS FAILURE not his alleged criminality. That’s the smart political play.

All narratives about Obama on IRS, Immigration, Foreign policy should be about how he’s failed to lead with a whiff of was the WH involved or asleep at the wheel. Talking impeachment is putting the rhetorical cart before the horse and looks like desperation when there’s no need to appear desperate. He’s desperate, not us.

All narratives about Obama on IRS, Immigration, Foreign policy should be about how he’s failed to lead with a whiff of was the WH involved or asleep at the wheel. Talking impeachment is putting the rhetorical cart before the horse and looks like desperation when there’s no need to appear desperate. He’s desperate, not us.

The failure of the Senate to remove a clearly guilty Bill Clinton has removed impeachment as a means of dealing with a rogue president for several generations. Recall that Lincoln’s successor was impeached and not removed, and there were no more serious discussion on impeachment for the next century.

Nope, we are stuck with whomever we vote in, even if the votes are from the dead or otherwise fraudulent. Besides, can anyone explain Joe Biden’s selection as VP besides as an insurance policy? Foreign policy gravitas my a$$. The thought of Slow Joe as pres is enough to swallow two more years of the Obamas.

Redford on July 12, 2014 at 4:06 PM
Sorry, you can’t claim low info and hyper sensitive to Palin all in the same comment. That makes zero sense. In case you haven’t notice, a lot of us, donors and campaign workers, don’t give a flying flip about the party anymore. They SUCK!!!

Cindy Munford on July 12, 2014 at 10:37 PM

And what party is that? Do tell. My point is that the majority of voters can’t tell you who the VP is. There is a very tiny fraction of the voting public who care. Most people do not care and will vote, if they vote, for the coolest and who promises the most freebies.

Palin is poison among the majority (tiny fraction) who do pay attention.

I really think we are at a cross roads here. either we impeach Obama and get a handle on the Congress today or in 10 years time we have revolts across the land. It is also why I believe that the NSA is ramping up their spying because unlike the rest of us idiots the NSA knows what the is coming and they are doing everything in their power to ensure the leites retain power.

The GOP is an “exercise in futility”.That is why I joined the movement to destroy it to save the country from the socialist progressives.The GOP is aiding and abetting the traitors and must be destroyed.Will vote Democrap to help do it.First time in 40 years,but it is time to fight.

The GOP is an “exercise in futility”.That is why I joined the movement to destroy it to save the country from the socialist progressives.The GOP is aiding and abetting the traitors and must be destroyed.Will vote Democrap to help do it.First time in 40 years,but it is time to fight.
redware on July 14, 2014 at 7:22 PM

I agree. I recommended doing this in earlier posts. The GOP needs to be destroyed and then the DNC for the same of the country. Both parties are in the back pockets of the Kronies, and the only answer is to clean them out. Voting for the R is not going to stop Obama from overriding the Constitution